Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations. Uncertainty is due to the fact that deep persistent slabs are particularly difficult to forecast.

Thursday night: Flurries, up to 10 cm. Moderate to strong southerly winds. Alpine temperatures around -15 C.

Friday: Light flurries. Moderate southeast winds, shifting southwest in the afternoon. Alpine temperatures drop to -20 C.

Saturday: Winds increasing to strong and shifting to the northwest. Alpine temperatures reach -25 C with light flurries throughout the day. 

Sunday: Building high pressure will bring mainly clear skies. Light to moderate ridgetop winds from the west. Alpine temperatures around -20 C.

On Tuesday, a size 2.5 skier-remote persistent slab was reported on the MIN (see report here). The avalanche was triggered from around 100m away, by a group of 5 riders on an east aspect at 1400m. The avalanche was suspected to have failed on an early-season facet/crust layer. 

Lots of whumping and cracking have been reported across the region, which is most likely associated with an early-season shallow snowpack, wind slab formation, and a weak facet/crust layer at the base of the snowpack. 

Thank you for the all informative and detailed Mountain Information Network reports! Remember that it is still early season, and we look forward to hearing more this weekend.

Another 5-10 cm of new snow will add to last week's 30 cm of storm snow. This new snow will continue to be transported by moderate to strong southerly winds into wind slabs in the alpine and treeline. 

A facet/crust layer can be found near the bottom of the snowpack. This layer has been reported as being reactive to human triggering in the past week, with a notable skier-remote avalanche on Tuesday.

• Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.
• If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.